Five in dramatic fire rescue at Clapham Common (From Wandsworth Guardian)

Five in dramatic fire rescue at Clapham Common

1:14pm Monday 5th July 2010 in News By Eleanor Harding

Five people were rescued from the roof and windows of a burning building in Clapham yesterday afternoon.

Firefighters were called to Common Sense health and beauty salon in Clapham Common South Side at 12.50pm.

The fire ripped through the four-storey building so fast that customers and staff were forced to climb out onto window ledges.

Charlie Gilbert, watch manager at Brixton Hill Fire Station, said: “Lots of people were sunning themselves on the common and there was a lot of traffic.

“Then, all of a sudden, a fire broke out. There was thick black smoke coming out of the ground floor when we arrived.”

About 14 people were in the building when the fire took hold, with six later taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

Two women scrambled out of a window on the second floor and balanced on a window frame two inches wide on the first floor.

Another woman was hanging out of a second floor window at the back, while two people had managed to clamber onto the roof.

Four fire engines from Brixton Hill, Clapham and West Norwood rushed to the scene along with a turn-table ladder and rescued all occupants within half an hour.

The fire, the cause of which is still under investigation, was extinguished by 6pm.

It is understood the premises did not have a fire alarm.

For a free home fire safety check, call the London Fire Brigade on 08000 284428.